Simulated golf hole



l? 5 GQA. c.. M. LABRIQUE- 3,195,897

SIMULATED GOLF HOLE I Filed Sept. 6. 1961 will/11111111, I;

INVENTOR: amass: 41/6067! Ll/MZA? m: ZAAM/Ql/F United States Patent 3,195,897 SIMULATED GOLF HOLE Georges Auguste Charles Marie Labrique, 14 Rue de lAssociation, Brussels, Belgium Filed Sept. 6, 1961, Ser. No. 136,718 Claims priority, application Belgium, Sept. 9, 1960, 472,824, Patent 594,877 4 Claims. (*Cl. 273--177) The present invention relates to the game of golf and more particularly to an enlarged cup which is installed in each putting green.

At present, a course is composed of 9 or 18 holes each terminating in a putting-green, each green being provided with -a small hole or cup of 108 mm. diameter into which the ball has to be entered by each player.

These small size cups compel all the players, as accomplished as they may be, to perform on the greens a really childish game of Tom Thumb golf involving 50%, more or less, of their drives, and this without any sporting interest, inasmuch as the success of these putting strokes is too often, and sometimes unfairly, subject to favourable or unfavourable hazards of chance. Moreover, these delicate and unnerving final strokes always make excessive demands on the time of the players, a fact which re tards considerably and sometimes excessively the normal progress of the game.

The present invention has for its object of further favouring the ability and skill of the player, and to render the game more interesting by reducing the element of chance.

According to the invention, the hole of each putting green is defined by a ring of large diameter embedded in the ground coaxially with the flag marking the hole.

Referring to the drawing:

FIGURE 1 is a perspective view of an annular member in accordance with the invention.

FIGURE 2 is a fragmentary view in sectional elevation showing the annular member imbedded in the soil of a putting green.

This ring 1 (FIG. 1), for example of plastic material and preferably of a white or yellow colour which contrasts sharply with the green colour of the grass is shown in perspective in FIGURE 1, and in transverse peripheral section in FIGURE 2.

It has side wall 2 converging downwardly and terminating in a sharp edge 3, and its upper edge terminates in a flange or bead 4 which remains visible above the soil in the grass of the green.

3,195,897 Patented July 20, 1965 By way of example, the ring may have a diameter of 1 yard, i.e. 91 cm., a width of 7 to 8 cm., a thickness of 10 mm. on top and of 6 mm. at the bottom. The diameter is greater than ten times the diameter of the golf ball.

The upper portion 4 projects above the ground throughout its entire periphery and forms a clearly visible circle which may be cambered and Slightly flanged in order to mask, on the one hand, neatly the end of the embedded portion and on the other hand to allow the easy withdrawal of the ring from the soil, for example, by means of pliers Such a ring may be crenellated at its lower edge portion in order to assure greater stability in the ground.

What I claim is:

1. In a game of golf, the provision in a putting green of a unitary annular member of vertically elongated cross-sectional configuration, said unitary member defining the hole, the top edge portion of said annular member terminating in a horizontally extending flange which projects above the soil of the green throughout its entire periphery so as to be clearly visible, the lower edge portion being positioned below the upper surface of the soil, said lower edge portion terminating in a sharp edge, whereby to facilitate placement of said annular member in the soil.

2. A game according to claim 1, wherein said lower edge portion is crenellated.

3. A game according to claim 1, wherein said annular member is formed of a plastic material having a colour which contrasts sharply with the green colour of the grass of the putting green.

4. A game according to claim 1, wherein the diameter of the annular member exceeds ten times the diameter of a golf ball.

References Cited by the Examiner UNITED STATES PATENTS 233,931 11/80 Hubby 403 1,456,153 5/ 23 Seeger 175-403 1,943,610 l/34 John 273--34 2,78 8,977 4/57 LuSk 273177 2,974,959 3 61 Zl-otnicki 273177 FOREIGN PATENTS 315,915 7/29 Great Britain.

RICHARD C. PINKHAM, Primary Examiner.

JAMES W. LOVE, DELBERT B. LOWE, Examiners. 

1. IN A GAME OF GOLF, THE PROVISION IN A PUTTING GREEN OF A UNITARY ANNULAR MEMBER OF VERTICALLY ELONGATED CROSS-SECTIONAL CONFIGURATION, SAID UNITARY MEMBER DEFINING THE HOLE, THE TOP EDGE PORTION OF SAID ANNULAR MEMBER TERMINATING IN A HORIZONTALLY EXTENDING FLANGE WHICH PROJECTS ABOVE THE SOIL OF THE GREEN THROUGHOUT ITS ENTIRE PERIPHERY SO AS TO BE CLEARLY VISIBLE, THE LOWER EDGE PORTION BEING POSITIONED BELOW THE UPPER SURFACE OF THE SOIL, SAID LOWER EDGE PORTION TERMINATING IN A SHARP EDGE, WHEREBY TO FACILITATE PLACEMENT OF SAID ANNULAR MEMBER IN THE SOIL. 